Instant Messaging News

International maritime network Stella Maris has teamed up with tech start-up FrontM to develop a new crew collaboration and wellbeing platform and super-app designed to give seafarers and fishers across the world quick access to Stella Maris's global chaplaincy directory, media content and faith resources.Stella Maris, formerly known as Apostleship of the Sea, is a ship-visiting network with more than 1,000 chaplains and volunteers in 330 ports across 60 countries. Its team makes 70…

Telecommunications firm Italtel has been selected to renew the communications network of British/American owned Italian cruise shipping company Costa Cruises. Under the contract, Italtel will implement a updated integrated communication system, based on IP protocol and capable of delivering new services. Costa Cruises was previously equipped with a voice-based infrastructure on a different set of local exchanges directly connected to the traditional telephone network. Although these guaranteed basic telephone services…

Astrium Services took a survey of seafarer’s usage of crew communication solutions in the commercial shipping sector to establish a picture of mariner communications requirements. According to Tore Morten Olsen, Head of Maritime Services, Astrium Services, the survey was illuminating in more ways than one, helping to shed light on modern comms usage for onboard business and personal reasons. MLC 2006 is here. What is your sense that ship operators and owners will incorporate an increased availability of communications solutions for seafarers? The MLC asks for “reasonable access to ship-to-shore telephone communications, and email and Internet facilities, where available.” The wording is quite soft. Plus it is located in the non-mandatory guidelines. So there’s some room for interpretation.

Globecomm Maritime, a provider of maritime communications solutions, is bringing crew closer to their friends and families with the launch of Access Chat Crew. Part of the Access Chat line of products, Access Chat Crew is a revolutionary way for seafarers to enjoy live video, voice chat and instant messaging – services previously considered too expensive or bandwidth-hungry to use over satellite. Globecomm recognized the need for the development of a low bandwidth video calling solution specifically geared to meet the interests of seafarers.

SMSGlobal Ltd., a provider  of personal communications for the global maritime industry, today announced that the number of vessels now equipped with its CrewCommCenter has reached 3,000. CrewCommCenter creates an onboard Internet Café, allowing seafarers to stay in touch with family and friends without interfering with the ship's official business communications. The milestone is doubly significant as SMSGlobal marks its tenth year in the maritime industry. Today, around the globe, more than 120,000 seafarers use CrewCommCenter to exchange approximately 2,200,000 messages with over 1,300,000 friends and loved ones on-shore each month. “This milestone is a testament to CrewCommCenter and cements it as the crew communications solution of choice,” said Capt.

Simon Møkster Shipping’s fleet of 23 offshore supply and specialist vessels is now fully connected to the Microsoft Lync platform through Sealink, Marlink’s customized VSAT service. Sealink has enabled the established Norwegian offshore vessel operator to roll-out Microsoft’s standardized business collaboration and communication platform across its organization on land and at sea, resulting in operational benefits in addition to substantial savings in the cost of crew calling.

Globecomm Maritime debuted Access Chat Plus, an optimized chat and video conferencing offering designed for maritime satellite communications. Access Chat Plus provides maritime users with a means to make video calls and chat live over satellite using.Access Chat provides instant messaging and voice calling, while Access Chat Plus provides the same with the addition of video conferencing. Both Access Chat and Access Chat Plus are available in a range of pricing options for corporate…

7Ccell is the first maritime mobile VoIP operator, offering WiFi network solutions for the maritime industry. Voice, SMS, email and Internet access are no longer unavailable and unaffordable for those working at sea. Network equipment, engineering, operation and termination from a single source help ship owners and managers to keep costs low and administration to a minimum. Branded under the name com4crew the service is a secure WiFi network that can be utilized for onboard communication as well as for crew welfare. 7Ccell sells traffic and numbers to maritime subscribers and enables them to receive calls from shore on their private handsets.

The trial led to the RNLN's purchase of the FleetBroadband from Stratos service, which it will use to manage its daily operations at sea. RNLN is the first organization to commercially deploy the FleetBroadband service. The three-month field trial was conducted onboard the RNLN Van Kinsbergen in Western European waters, including the Western Baltic. Radio managed the installation of a Thrane & Thrane SAILOR 500 FleetBroadband terminal onboard the vessel. FleetBroadband also was successfully integrated with AmosConnect to manage all email traffic. Other applications successfully tested during the trial included web browsing, instant messaging, video chat, digital faxing via eFax, and weather forecasting via MeteoConsult's SPOS.

Inmarsat, the original mobile satcom provider for the maritime industry, has been riding the crest of a wave recently, with users at an all-time high, overall 99.9 per cent satellite reliability and the launch of its Fleet F77, Mobile ISDN and Mobile Packet Data services for the maritime community. Ruth Ling reports on what's new and what lies on the horizon. Twenty years ago, a revolution hit the maritime industry. Satellite communications became available to ships at sea. Back in 1982, when Inmarsat began offering onboard satellite communications, its first and only system was Inmarsat A, which offered voice, facsimile, telex and data services. After nine years of successful service and expansion into most maritime sectors, Inmarsat began offering Inmarsat C.

Inmarsat’s new Fleet F55 service is undergoing evaluation with the U.S. Coast Guard aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Shearwater. The evaluation follows extensive beta testing and successful launch of the Fleet F55 service in April 2003, and forms part of the company ' s 2003 Maritime Field Evaluations (MFEs) program for the service. As part of the evaluation with the U.S. Coast Guard, an EMS Technologies Fleet F55 terminal has been installed on the USCG Shearwater, an 87-foot Island Class coastal patrol vessel based out of Portsmouth, Virginia, USA. Airtime provision for the evaluation is being provided by Telenor Satellite Services, Inc. " The MFE being conducted with the U.S.